ProverbPedia

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചെമ്പെന്നും ചൊല്ലി വെളിക്കൊ മണ്ണുകയറ്റിയതു”
— English Translation:
Was it common dirt that was loaded onto the vessel under the pretext of being copper? (Slapping a precious label onto valueless filth does not make it worth the freight.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേര തിന്നുന്ന നാട്ടിൽ ചെന്നാൽ നടുത്തുണ്ടം തിന്നണം”
— English Translation:
If you arrive in a land where they feast on rat snakes, eat the middle slice. (When in Rome, do as the Romans do; adapt thoroughly and without reservation to local customs.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേറുകണ്ടെടം ചവുട്ടിയാൽ വെള്ളം കണ്ടെടത്തുനിന്നു കഴുകെണം”
— English Translation:
If you stepped into mud where you found it, wash your feet wherever you find clean water. (Rectify errors and cleanse missteps at the earliest available opportunity.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേറ്റിൽ അടിച്ചാൽ നീളെ തെറിക്കും (അഴുക്കു പറ്റും)”
— English Translation:
Strike the mire, and it spatters far and wide across yourself. (Wrangling with base, vulgar adversaries only serves to soil one's own reputation.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേറ്റിൽ കുത്തിയ കൈ ചോറ്റിൽ കുത്താം”
— English Translation:
The hand that toiled in the muddy field has earned the right to dip into the bowl of rice. (Honest, back-breaking physical labor is what legitimately yields daily bread; no sweat, no sweet.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേറ്റിൽ കിടക്കുന്നവനു പൊടി പിരണ്ടാലെന്തു”
— English Translation:
What difference does a film of dust make to one already wallowing in the mud? (To someone already disgraced, ruined, or in total despair, a minor additional blemish is irrelevant.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചൊട്ടു കൊണ്ടാലും മോതിരക്കൈകൊണ്ടു കൊള്ളണം”
— English Translation:
If one must receive a rap on the head, let it be from a hand wearing a signet ring. (Better to accept correction, discipline, or service from a noble and worthy authority than favors from the base.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചൊടിയുള്ള കുതിരക്കു ഒരടി, ചുണയുള്ള പുരുഷനു ഒരു വാക്കു”
— English Translation:
For a spirited horse, a single touch of the whip; for a man of mettle, a single word. (The discerning and honorable require only a gentle hint to act, whereas the dull need brute force.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചൊറിക്കറിവില്ല”
— English Translation:
An itch knows no reason or restraint. (Intense primal urges, bodily discomforts, and blind compulsions overpower rational inhibition.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചൊല്ലാതെവന്നാലുണ്ണാതെപോകും”
— English Translation:
Arrive unannounced, and you will depart without a meal. (Showing up uninvited leads to being ignored and leaving empty-handed.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചൊല്ലിക്കൊടു, നുള്ളിക്കൊടു, തല്ലിക്കൊടു, തള്ളിക്കള”
— English Translation:
First instruct with words, then pinch to correct, then strike to discipline, and if all fails, cast away. (The natural escalation of corrective guidance: counsel, mild warning, firm discipline, and finally complete severance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചോദിക്കുന്നതു കൊടുക്കാനാളുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ ചോദിക്കാത്തതു ഭോഷത്വം”
— English Translation:
If there is someone willing to grant what is asked, failing to speak up is pure foolishness. (When a generous benefactor is at hand, timidity and reluctance to voice one's legitimate needs are self-defeating.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചോറുംവെച്ചു കൈമുട്ടുമ്പോൾ കാക്കച്ചിവരും”
— English Translation:
Just when the meal is cooked and one's hands are tied, the crow-woman arrives. (Parasites and uninvited spongers show up at the exact moment when you are least able to fend them off.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചോറുംകൊണ്ടതാ കറിപോകുന്നു”
— English Translation:
Look there, the curry is carrying off the entire pot of rice! (An accessory or secondary concern that overpowers, consumes, or ruins the main substance.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചെപ്പിടിക്കാരൻ അമ്പലംവിഴുങ്ങുമ്പോലെ”
— English Translation:
Like a street juggler swallowing an entire temple. (An astonishing, brazen act of deceit or an audacious sleight of hand.)

“Malayalam Proverb:
ചേട്ടെക്കു പിണക്കവും അട്ടക്കു കലക്കവും നല്ലിഷ്ടം”
— English Translation:
Misfortune delights in domestic discord, just as a leech thrives in stirred, muddy water. (Poverty and predatory parasites flourish best in environments of chaos, strife, and turmoil.)